


Artiya (working title)

by unobia



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angels, Guardian Angels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-19 15:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13707678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unobia/pseuds/unobia
Summary: Hi! I'm trying to write a short novel about a world where Angels live among us. They care for souls, each with a specific purpose. Artiya, the main character, is the Angel of grief and they, along with their host of Guardians, guide souls through grief.I'd really appreciate it if you'd proofread and give me your thoughts/point out dodgy spelling or grammar.Once I've got more chapters up please point out plot holes on inconsistencies if you spot them, thanks!Hope you enjoy!P.S. I've finished one fanfic out of dozens I started so we'll see if this actually gets anywhere.





	Artiya (working title)

The air was cold and the wind lifeless for once. Lights were on everywhere despite the dark on the other side of the window, and yet the streets still felt lonely as Artiya wondered along them, waiting for something to spark some feeling inside them. 

Ti didn’t feel much these days. Once, long ago, they had felt pride and an absolute need to do their duty, but both had faded over the years, leaving Ti stranded in disconnect and indifference. There was only one thing that they could feel nowadays, and it was that feeling that Ti hoped find in the dark streets of London. 

And there it was, that filling sensation warming their core, sending shivers into the tips of their wings. But it was gone in a moment; they needed to get closer.

Ti’s walk picked up as they followed the feeling towards a busier part of town. They could hear laughter and faint music nearby, accompanied by the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke.

“Nice tats, sweetheart,” a not so drunk man called, spotting Ti’s wings through the open back of their top. They turned to give him a quick look to make sure they remembered his face down the line. “ _And_ nice tits, my lucky day.” He started to saunter over, cig glowing between his fingers. He wore a creased navy suit and tie - probably a well paid office type - and had a dull gold band round his left ring finger. 

Ti was used to getting these comments occasionally, as apparently most people with more feminine body types were, but they’d learned quickly that the acceptable thing to do about them was ignore them completely. They began to walk away, followed by a disappointed shout, and quickly an angry one. But the man stayed behind this time.

Artiya could feel that one of their Host was already here, but they wanted this one for themselves. They’d had a taste of that desperateness and they needed the rest before it faded for good. Stopping to focus for a moment, they felt it coming from the noisy building on the corder with old lettering and a painted sign. It always had to be a pub. Ti hated pubs, but they braved it anyway, deciding the noise and the risk of more unwanted comments was worth what waited inside.

“Oh, Artiya, I-“

“I’ve got this one.” Ti interrupted the Guardian in Enochian, the Guardian frowning to herself in confusion for a moment before nodding once. Ti found they recognised her. Helen? Helena maybe?

“Of course.” Guardians were all human once, it was what made them so good at their jobs. They understood the people they were sent to help and could follow the social changes that felt so much more fleeting to an Angel. Many of them had had a Guardian of their own in their lifetime, making them want to give back to the world once they were given the Choice. “Should I stay or are you taking on the whole job?”

Definitely Helen, Ti knew her voice. They hadn’t thought that far ahead if they were being honest. Ti hadn’t done the whole Guardian thing in forever; they hadn’t needed to. In fact, they couldn’t remember what it felt like. 

“I’ll handle it,” They replied. If the uncertainty was showing in their voice, thankfully the Guardian showed no sign of noticing. She nodded once more and turned to go, tying her halo back in her hair as she walked away. She had a certain air about her that too many new Guardians did. She was enticingly beautiful in the saddest way; having died before her time she had kept the youth in her heart that she had given up on in her lifetime. Fortunately for the Angels, souls who died young often made the most compassionate Guardians, and Helen was no different.

Looking towards the bar, Ti could see a hunched figure, radiating with that fullness they were craving. They began to wander over, taking the seat next to the guy, the bartender spotting them and reaching to put the last of a crate of clean glasses back on its shelf. 

“What can I get you?” She asked in an Irish accent.

“Two house reds please.” The bartender was a little surprised by their request, but revealed a pair of wine glasses from under the bar all the same. “Thank you.”

As the bartender poured out the glasses, Ti turned their attention to the miserable man beside her. “Hey.”

He turned to face them, his expression tired and a little confused.

“Why so glum, sugarplum?” If there was one thing Ti loved about people, it was the ridiculous phrases they came up with. 

“Look, if you’d asked me a week ago I probably would’ve had something witty lined up to say, bought you a drink and asked for your number, but I’ve just come back from a funeral so I’m gonna have to politely apologise and hope you don’t spend the rest of your life resenting the stranger you met at the bar.”

Ti pushed over one of the full glasses, taking a sip of their own. “You’re not driving tonight are you?”

“Not in this state.”

“Good. Drink up, stranger.”

He tipped back the last of his pint and took the wine glass. “Cheers.” The glasses made a muffled chink sound and Ti took another sip, while the grieving stranger took a much heftier gulp of his, instant regret washing across his face as he did his best to swallow it all quickly. “Can you tell I’m not a regular wine drinker?” He coughed, a small grin forming.

“I could see that before you said a word.” Ti smiled back.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well you were sat here, very obviously miserable for one reason or another, with nothing but a pint of Guinness. You look like you’re just out of uni and looking for a job. You’re a party booze kind of guy. Vodka shots and beer pong is as exciting as you tend to get.”

“I s’pose you’re not wrong,” His eyebrows raising as he looked at nothing, thinking. “Except I never did uni and I do have a job.”

“It’s pretty late and it’s Monday night. You sure you’ll still have a job this time tomorrow?”

His eyebrows raised again and he stared harder, freezing for a moment in panic. He looked at Ti, the panic easing away. “My boss gave me a couple days off for the funeral.” He looked down again, taking another drink.

Ti watched him for a moment, understanding. “You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.” He closed his eyes and dropped his head, brows furrowed. “It was my sister’s.”

“What was she like?”

“She was brilliant. She was my big sister, y’know?”

Ti tried to think of the last time they’d seen another Angel from the early days. Everyone was busy and isolated now; it was a wonder Ti could remember what they were like at all. “That I do, though I don’t see much of mine these days.”

“You have a sister?”

“Sisters, brothers, all sorts. Depends on the day.” 

“I feel like there’s a long explanation there so I’m not even gonna ask.”

Both sat at the bar, drinking quietly from their glasses for a long moment, Ti watching the man whose name they didn’t know as he watched nothing in particular, thinking again.

“What was her name?”

“Louise.” His eyes didn’t move from their unfocused stare. “None of this feels real.I still feel like she could just walk in any second, make some comment about my fashion choices and drag me home.”

“It gets easier.” Ti put their empty glass back on the counter, a twenty tucked underneath. Wine wasn’t cheap in London, and it never hurt to tip well if you could afford to. “I’m sure she’ll still be looking out for you now. If she Chooses she could come back as a Guardian Angel, who knows?”

“See now that’s just cruel.”

“You don’t believe in Guardian Angels?”

“Why would I? And why would an Angel pick one person out of seven billion to watch over anyway?” He seemed to be getting worked up over the idea. Maybe the suggestion wasn’t the ray of hope Ti had thought it would be. 

“It was just something my mother used to tell us when a pet died,” They tried, earning a subtle nod as the man returned to his own nearly empty glass.

Ti focused back in on the feeling they’d come for. Sat here with him it was strong and it was calm, sturdy but soft. It was weakening in him the longer Ti stayed, and they knew this was their cue to leave. The took their golden halo from round their wrist, its shape changing easily but unnoticeably at their touch as they moved it over their hand. They put it down on the wood of the bar as it shifted back into its original shape.

“Hey, I’ll tell you what. You seem like you could do with some proper you time, but I’ll leave you with my card so you can find me when you want to.”

“Oh,” He replied, seeming to have adjusted to their company. “Well thanks for staying. Talking… Talking’s really helped… actually.” He seemed surprised at his own words.

“It’s amazing what the right drink and a conversation with a stranger can do.” Ti stood up and held out their hand. “See you round, stranger.” He took their hand and shook it, his grip firm.

Ti could feel him watch as they left. They hadn’t been without their halo in years, and it was a strange feeling, but a feeling nonetheless. Ti had gone so long feeding on grief alone without letting themself become a part of the story that they’d stopped feeling entirely. It was then that Artiya, the Angel of grieving souls, decided they had to reach the end of this man’s journey. It was time to be the Angel they were made to be again.


End file.
